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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Ian Sample Science editor

One in 500 men carry extra sex chromosome, research suggests

Human x chromosomes illustration
Only 23% of men in the study with XXY and 0.7% of those with XYY were aware they had an extra chromosome. Illustration: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

Twice as many men carry an extra sex chromosome as previously thought, according to researchers who called for more genetic testing to identify people at greater risk of related medical problems.

Research on more than 200,000 men enrolled with the UK Biobank suggests that about one in 500 in the general population has an extra X or Y chromosome, double the number found in earlier work, though only a fraction are likely to be aware of it.

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